All beer lines in licensed premises for the purpose of dispensing beer need to be cleaned on a regular basis (one cleaning per week recommended) with a dilute solution of sodium hydroxide. If these lines are not cleaned regularly, yeast will form on the inner walls of the lines, and a build-up of yeast will occur. The result of this build-up of yeast will be that the beer dispensed will be of poor quality and will have a sour taste.
The current method of cleaning beer lines involves the removal of the connection of the pipe from the keg or storage container, and attaching the beer line connection to a plastic vessel which contains a solution of water and a cleaning agent. Gas pressure from the beer gas cylinders, accessible through the beer line connection, is used to force the cleaning solution through the beer line when the tap at the main bar is released. The beer which is already in the line at commencement of the cleaning process is disposed of, up until the point that the cleaning solution becomes visible. At this point, the tap is closed, and a “soak” period, during which the cleaning solution is in contact with the inner wall of the beer lines, is used to break down the sediment and yeast. After this “soak” period, the plastic vessel holding the cleaning solution must be emptied, washed, then filled with water, and then re-attached to the beer line connection, and the tap is re-opened. At the point where the cleaning solution has been removed from the beer line, the tap must be closed again, and the beer line connection must then be re-attached to the keg. The tap must be re-opened, and the water must be removed from the line until the beer returns. Usually as part of this, a couple of pints of beer are also disposed of to ensure that the cleaning solution has been completely removed from the beer lines.
That known method suffers from the disadvantage that the cleaning solution (usually 1% sodium hydroxide solution) has to be made up manually, and this process is prone to error. The quantity of water used for rinsing may not be adequate, and hence the beer line may still have traces of cleaning agent. The line may also have traces of cleaning agent after the final rinse if the cleaning bucket was not properly rinsed free of the sodium hydroxide solution before it was filled with the final rinse fresh water. The container holding the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution has to be handled manually and the solution measured out in a measuring cup. This measuring process is prone to spills, and the sodium hydroxide solution often comes into contact with the operator's skin since, in practice, safety gloves and goggles are seldom used. Thus, the known method of cleaning beer lines described above leaves significant scope for human error because the cleaning solution mixing and “soak” periods are not precise enough to ensure that proper cleaning has taken place or to ensure that the cleaning agent has been removed before beer is again used in the cleaned line.
Other art is known such as reported from the parent international case. See, e.g., international publication No. WO 2005/087397 A1.
Thus, French patent specification No. FR 2 354 829 discloses a device for the automatic cleaning of piping systems to be connected to a beverage reservoir and installations connected to these systems. The device disclosed in that French specification comprises at least one unit comprising a portion conveying water and an electrical portion which is separate from the portion conveying water. The portion conveying water is composed of a piping system that is divided into at least two parts that can be closed individually by first and second valves and then joined together again. One end of the piping system is connected via a non-return valve to a feed system which is the main water supply, and its other end is connected to a branch part provided with one or more fittings, each fitting being closable. The piping system of an installation to be cleaned can be connected to each branch part; the discharge pipe of a metering pump is connected to at least one of the branches of the portion conveying water, downstream of the valve that controls the closure of this branch; and the branch comprises a second valve downstream of the delivery point of the metering pump, while the suction pipe can be connected to a receptacle of concentrated detergent. The valves and the metering pump can be controlled electrically by the electrical portion, which is connectable to a power source. Further there comprises a program selection knob, a push-button switch, an electrical source for driving the metering pump, and a timer.
European patent specification No. EP 0 487 214 discloses a beverage dispensing system cleaning apparatus. It includes means for selectively supplying cleaning fluid to an inlet of the system, selectively operable valve means connected with the outlet of the system, and control means to admit cleaning fluid to the system and to selectively operate the valve means to effect agitation of the cleaning fluid in the system.
Compare, DE 3920046; DE 4313292; FR 2642997; GB 1196912; WO 9512543 and WO 0053346.
Also, beer lines are of different length and can have quite substantial climbs from the cellar to the actual bar counter at which the beer is dispensed to a consumer. In some instances, a licensed premises can also have varying lines to different bars or to cold rooms where the beer is held.